Monday, February 23, 2015

A few months back, I had one of those insights that actually startled me—it dawned on me that with the development of affordable solar cells, the human race was on the verge of another era of cheap energy (and all that entails.)

Well the other night I had another. I was describing what it was like to live in one of those super-insulated Swedish homes. Of course, it was cozy and warm but what made it so remarkable was that in order to eliminate the possibility of mold and mildew buildup (which is a major problem with super-tight buildings) it had a positive ventilation system complete with a heat exchanger so it could renew the indoor air without heat loss. This system was so effective that it not only sucked the moist and odorous air from the kitchen and bathrooms, but supplied warmed outdoor air to the living room and bedrooms. And because the house was within a few hundred meters of the sea, the make-up air smelled of salt water (which was an extra treat for me who has lived my whole life near the center of a large continent.) I exclaimed, "I never had such clear sinuses during the winter before in my life."

This was part of an explanation for a Powerpoint slide that contained the following:

Regular readers know I cover these subjects pretty extensively so there was nothing new here. But even so, I flashed on the question "What kind of paradise could the Producers build if they really did get their hands on the $100 trillion Tony and I have been arguing is the minimum necessary to rebuild the global infrastructure to eliminate the causes of climate change." I mean we are talking about things like healthy indoor air times many thousands.

The future need NOT be Mad Max. The future could just as easily be millions of people working at good jobs that would save the planet. Instead of young people destroying their mental health because of the futility of unemployment, they could be doing work they will be proud to show their grandchildren. And because this would be a Producer Class agenda that leveraged the Instinct of Workmanship, it would teach the virtues of a successful society.

I actually smiled about this as I fell asleep. And in the future, I am going to try to keep from proclaiming that we must spend the $100 trillion or we all die and stress that IF we spend this sort of money, it will make a lot of us VERY happy and fulfilled.

2 comments:

Thanks. I am no expert but even so, I have managed to produce more than my fair share of beautiful objects. The other night I just thought of all the people I knew who have managed to make attractive neighborhoods, net-zero dwellings that are amazingly comfortable, etc. on limited budgets and wondered what they would have done with some serious resources. Nice thought, I can assure you.